The first steps to
Feeling Better
Wellness Walks is based on some simple truths we all know – backed up with some proven therapeutic strategies that are informed by factual research.
We all know going for a walk is good for us, that nature has a special way of putting things in perspective and that talking about things helps – we combine those three simple elements to empower people to take action to feel better.
Our walks are all either free or very heavily subsidised for participants – and we make sure you are safe, supported and encouraged.
Meet The Wellness Walks Team
We believe that knowing who we’re working with – the relationship – is vital to achieving positive outcomes.
All of our walks are run by a facilitator who will hold actual qualifications (i.e. hasn’t just “attended a course”) in walk safety but also outdoor first aid, first aid for mental health, safeguarding and has been trained to start and guide safe supportive conversations. Often we’ll have events that bring in an additional specialist – maybe a pain counsellor or a physical health specialist – but there’ll always be a Wellness Walks facilitator there as well to make sure everything we do has the participant’s wellbeing at it’s core.
Kelvyn James
Founder, CEO & TrusteeWellness Walks is the outcome of Kelvyn seeing first hand the restorative power of time spent engaging with other people out in the natural world.
Originally the charitable output of Mental Health North West CIC as the organisation grew and people saw just what a great thing Wellness Walks was, it became inevitable that Wellness Walks should become a registered Charity to further it's mission of helping as many people as possible in as many places as possible to access a totally free Wellness Walk. Kelvyn is responsible for making that happen as both CEO and the person responsible for oversight and delivery of our Wellness Walks Volunteer Training Programs.
Kelvyn has personal experience of these benefits - he's suffered his own depression and ptsd following the murder of his mother - and over the following decade he credits time spent engaging with nature and, vitally, engaging with others in nature as being a key to his recovery.
He holds the UK's highest walking qualification (International Mountain Leader), has a Masters Degree in Psychology and teaching qualifications (as well as a long track record in business) - so not only does he have the required skills to help someone - he knows how to pass those skills on. He's passionate about giving people the opportunity to engage with nature and the space to reconnect with themselves and others.
Kelvyn delivers our Mental Health training courses and oversees the Volunteer Training Program as well as representing us at events and conferences.
Despite having worked and travelled all over the world he's super lucky to call the Westmorland Dales home. His favourite walk in Cumbria is a loop of the high tops around Grisedale Valley.
Mary Smith
TrusteeMary is the CEO of a local charity working in therapeutic farming - so she knows only too well the benefits of time spent in nature.
Mary brings a wealth of practical knowledge and enthusiasm for seeing people take real practical steps towards feeling better.
A winner of the prestigious Churchill Fellowship and a strong background in corporate development means Wellness Walks are super lucky to add Mary's expertise to our Board - Mary says the thing she likes most about Wellness Walks is how simple the concept is to understand and yet how robust our delivery platform is - meaning that Wellness Walks can be delivered and embedded into communities everywhere.
When Mary needs a reset from the corporate world she has a simple go-to solution - spending time out in nature - something that is embodied by Wellness Walks. She tells us "I have a busy work and home life so my favourite places to walk and truly “switch off” are the quieter Lakes locations. Duddon Valley, Swindale and Martindale are ideal for long, beautiful walks - great for body and mind."
David Reid
Chair of TrusteesHe is the current Chief Executive of a £multi-million Social Enterprise company providing care, education and support for disabled children...
David is a multiple award winning CEO with a proven track record of delivering both transformative change to organisation and tangible benefits to beneficiaries. Dave's expertise lies in governance and development and he has been involved with Wellness Walks from its very inception.
David is a qualified social worker and psychologist as well as holding several other qualifications up to level 8.
David is a survivor of childhood abuse and is fully aware from both a personal and professional perspective of the impact that trauma can have on an individual’s sense of wellbeing and mental health having struggled for years to come to terms with his early experiences and having helped many others to do the same.
He is also fully aware that mental wellbeing is not a fixed status and can change or be affected by external factors over time. He cites the time in October 2017 when he attempted to take his own life following the breakup of a long term relationship as a particular low point even though to the outside world he was a successful senior executive winning national and international awards. He found comfort and healing in the natural environment, particularly the mountains of the lake district.
David says his favourite place in the UK has to be the Langdale Valley where most of his personal recovery took place.
Darren Warneford
TrusteeDarren is a lifelong enthusiast for wandering out in nature - and a multiple Great North Run participant.
Darren is the Head of Strategic and Business Intelligence for an award winning large construction group recognised for its strong social values. They actively encourage senior staff to give back to community initiatives and Darren brings a wealth of experience and positive ideas for the future of Wellness Walks.
Darren tells us:
. I am drawn to the opportunity of being a trustee at Wellness Walks particularly due to the combination of
walking and mental health. I recognise the importance of the physical and mental health benefits Wellness
Walks brings to so many. I am a keen walker myself – it is part of my routine now and whether it's a short, medium or long walk there is nothing better than walking and talking with others for putting things in perspective.
Darren tells us that he never tires of the famous view of the jaws of Borrowdale from Keswick - a view that entices people to head into the hills to enjoy everything the Lake District has to offer.
Beth Wallis
Programme Lead - Wellness-on-Water & Women Only EventsBeth holds some of the highest paddling qualifications available - as well as being a Mountain Leader - so you'll find her delivering a full range of our courses and events.
Beth has been part of the Wellness Walks Team from day 1 - and has helped design and inform many of our programmes. Beth is the lead instructor for our Women Only Skills courses and also has technical oversight of our Wellness-on-Water programme.
Based in the Scottish Highlands Beth can often be found out on expedition, or in the Lake District running courses - but she always has a smile on her face.
Beth has been an instructor since she was 15 and she's lost none of her enthusiasm for introducing people to the Great Outdoors in the lowland, highlands or out on the water.
Beth has coached adults into remembering how to play & teenagers into realising just how capable they really are. In her own words Beth has " soaked up wisdom from eighty year olds whilst hiking in the mountains, and learnt life lessons from pre-shoolers walking along an inner city canal tow path"
What we value most about Beth though is the connections she makes with clients "I've cried with people who've found the empty solitude of the loch a safe place to share their pain and struggle, I've celebrated all that is good about life and love on mountain summits"
Like all of the team at MHNW Beth has had her own mental health journey - something that helps her make those empathetic connections so well.
Beth says her favourite place in the Lake District is Derwentwater - the middle of the lake is the best possible vantage point to see 360 degrees of marvel. So it's no surprise that's where Wellness on Water began as a concept!
Helen Barnard
Course DirectorHelen is one the best regarded Instructors in the UK and Wellness Walks are super pleased to have her on our Team. She works on many of our walk leadership courses.
Helen has over 25 years experience in the outdoor sector and holds some of the highest qualifications available - she's an International Mountain Leader, a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and a Winter Mountain Leader.
Helen's previous roles include being the Chief Instructor at Plas y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre for England and Wales. Helen currently works for the Scout Association supporting volunteers to deliver safe adventurous activities to young people.
Helen is passionate about the outdoors and in providing opportunities for people to safely enjoy blue and green spaces - something that aligns perfectly with Wellness Walks charitable objectives.
Helen says "I love working with the Wellness Walks Team, especially training the volunteer leaders; its great to be supporting people who want to help others to discover the positive benefits both mentally and physically of being outdoors in nature.
Helen Teasdale
Course DirectorHelen is a highly qualified outdoor professional and brings a wealth of knowledge and happiness to the Wellness Walks Team.
Helen holds the Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (WMCI) and International Mountain Leader (IML) qualifications.
These qualifications are the highest in the UK, underscoring Helen's comprehensive skill set and dedication to outdoor education. In her role as a Senior Instructor at Plas y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre, Helen has delivered many advanced training programs across the full spectrum of outdoor courses. here she imparts essential skills to aspiring leaders in mountain environments.
Passionate about the positive impact that outdoor activities can have on mental health and well-being, Helen’s immediately understood Wellness Walks' mission to support communities and promote resilience through training our volunteers to safely deliver outdoor experiences.
With a keen eye for safety and an unwavering commitment to empowering others, she enriches each Wellness Walk course by blending professional insight with genuine warmth and enthusiasm.
Missy Mischief
Chief Therapy Dog....Missy is a Wellness Walks legend - you'll find her on nearly all of Kelvyn's walks & on a lot of our training courses - and she's quite fond of a bit of paddleboarding too!
Missy is a tri-coloured working cocker spaniel - and a strong contender for happiest doggy in the world. Whether it's running around on the open fell (her recall is 101%), rounding up the group if we spread out (she's very considerate like that), begging you to throw her ball or just jumping into your lap for a cuddle - she does it all with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.
Missy is the ultimate master of living life fully in the moment - so Missy's favourite walk is always.... the one she's on right now!
And what sort of therapy dog is Missy - well she makes everyone who meets her smile....and we think that counts as the best possible sort of therapy!
As the name suggests these walks are very bespoke to the individual and usually mean that we’ll have had a chat first. Funding for this sort of therapy is very difficult to come by so these walks are always in high demand.
Most of our walks fall into this category – whether its Walk & Talk, Engagement or Skills based we keep groups small to maximise the benefits that participants can get from the sessions.
We do some events that are low key and designed for a lot of people to come along and meet each other. They still have a facilitator with the same skills & they still put participants at the heart of the event.
As the name suggests the talk is just as important as the walk – we’ll head somewhere good and let the conversation find it’s own way too.
These sessions will aim to give you the skills to head out on your own, to build your confidence or to tackle a particular issue.
Walks with a particular purpose – something for participants to get engaged with – nature, geology, mindfulness – there’ll be somthing for everyone.
How to take part
Take a look through our program of walks & events and follow the link to book a place.
Sadly we can’t always accommodate everyone – we often have far more requests than we can (currently) deal with – but we do give advanced notice of events to people on our waiting lists – so if the event you’re interested in is full or the times not quite right, then subscribe to our Newsletter & Events list.
Wellness Walks
& Mental Health North West
Wellness Walks officially became a charity (registered in England & Wales; 1209744) in August 2024.
But we ‘started’ in 2021 as the charitable activity of our social enterprise company, Mental Health North West CIC Ltd.
When we first started we used surplus commercial funds to run the odd Wellness Walk whenever we could. Then the fabulous West Cumbria Mental Health Partnership funded us to deliver some regular events – and great though that was we quickly realised a simple truth – one person can only ever do so much – and if we really wanted to help as many people as possible in as many places as possible we had to innovate, expand and enthuse.
It’s been two long years – and we know there’s a lot of hard work ahead – but we now (Sept 2024) have a team over over 50 people and we’re actively recruiting and seeking to grow.
Put simply – our charitable purpose is now our primary purpose.
How we know it works
In order to prove to our funding partners that what we do really does help, we ask participants to complete a simple questionnaire – that’s usually the only ‘cost’ to them at all (some of our skills based courses occasionally have small specific fees, but it’s rare).
Of course we’re happy if participants would like to make a small donation to the work we do – it’s not required at all – and of course, as a not-for-profit, all donations just go towards helping us to help more people.
This graph represents participants before and after self-reported wellbeing.
How do Wellness Walks help individuals?
We’ve run a lot of walks, programs and events since we began – overall participants report a real improvement in their wellbeing. Many of our programs are very low participant to facilitator ratio – typically just 4 participants – so you get a lot more attention, time to be heard & opportunity to listen. All of our walks are designed to put you at the heart of what we do – so they’re not about getting to the top, doing it in a set time or grabbing a selfie – they’re about being in nature with other people, learning to let go, becoming more confident… sometimes simply just being there.